The instant application should be granted the priority dates of Dec. 17, 2004, the filing date of the corresponding German patent application 10 2004 060 791.5, as well as Dec. 8, 2005, the filing date of the International patent application PCT/EP2005/1013142.
The present invention relates to a carrying strap arrangement for supporting stretchers in land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft, with a carrying strap that extends in a stretched manner between the ceiling and the floor of a vehicle, and that at its ends is to be fixed to the ceiling and the floor of the vehicle via respective fittings.
Such a carrying strap arrangement, which is known from use, serves to transport ill or injured people in land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to the extent that such people must be moved on stretchers in a prone position. For this purpose, at a distance corresponding to the length of a stretcher, two carrying straps are associated with the front end of the stretcher and two further carrying straps are associated with the rear end of the stretcher, with the carrying straps being stretched between the ceiling and the floor of the vehicle. To support the stretcher on the carrying straps, metallic fittings are secured to the carrying straps; the carrying handles of the stretcher are supported in the metallic fittings.
Such a carrying strap arrangement has the drawback that the fittings used are heavy, require an appropriate storage space when the carrying strap arrangement is disassembled from the vehicle, and cause considerable cost in the design of the carrying strap arrangement. Furthermore, when the carrying strap arrangement is installed in the vehicle, the fittings present a danger of injury during rapid entry or exit from the vehicle. In addition, the fittings require additional handling effort during suspension of the stretcher in order to reliably secure the stretcher in the fittings during movement of the vehicle.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to simplify the construction and handling of the carrying strap arrangement of the aforementioned general type.